ZUNI SPIRITS in 2010!

And so, a New Year!

Dave and I send you all our warmest wishes for a blessed and healthy New Year. A little prosperity would be welcome, too, no doubt! The last couple of years have been more of a struggle than any in previous memory but we count ourselves among the fortunate that we are still here! And for that, we thank you - our collectors - and our artisan friends in Zuni who continue to send us beautiful works of art to share here at Zuni Spirits.

Thank you so much for your continued support and interest. We promise to continue our efforst to insure that your Zuni Spirits experience is always an interesting and enjoyable one!

ZUNISPIRITS.COM

It's always been our habit to wind down at year's end with a sale which allows you to pick up beautiful Zuni art at the best possible price we can offer. It also keeps us from having to pay more taxes than we enjoy. (Enjoy? Well, you know.)

This past December was no exception and as a consequence, the site is looking pretty slim. Please bear with us as new inventory is enroute and we expect to update the site with new Zuni fetishes by the end of the month. Meanwhile .. all remaining fetishes currently on the site have been reduced to near cost. Take advantage of the sale now .. because like the holidays, everything good must come to an end!

Click photos for more views & info!

OUR BOOK

Email your book order at this link.

As most of you know, Dave and I published a 'coffee table' type photography book about Zuni fetishes in the Fall of 2008 (just about the time that the economy tanked. Perfect timing!) But the beauty of the book prevailed and we're most grateful for the exposure recently given in NATIVE PEOPLE'S magazine. As a result of that review, we are now OUT of hardcover editions (with more on the way) and only have a few soft-cover editions available. The soft-cover edition ships domestically for $65.00. Once these are gone, it's not likely we will offer soft-cover editions (in this printing) again.

If you would like to order one of the few remaining soft-cover editions or be put on a waiting list for the next supply of hardcovers, just email us. Thanks!

And to those of you who have purchased a copy of the book, we invite your feedback at this link. Please let us know what you think about ZUNI SPIRITS: A Portfolio of Fine Zuni Fetish Carvings.

NEW ZUNI FETISHES

We look forward to another year to share the amazing beauty, symbolism and talent of the artisans of Zuni. We thank you for your interest and look forward to hearing from you soon!

Darlene
darlene at zunispirits dot com

Thanksgiving Sale @ Zunispirits.com

Just in time for browsing this happy week of Thanksgiving .. we've reduced to ROCK BOTTOM 10 items and added 13 more items to the sale section of Zuni Spirits. Now is the perfect time to add to your own collection or buy for gift-giving this holiday season. Email your orders to Darlene and remember that we accept online payments via paypal.com/check or MO. If you have any questions, we're an email away! All images are "clickable" or you can see all available Zuni fetishes at www.zunispirits.com.

FINAL REDUCTION!!!!!
ONLY THESE ARE LEFT!!!! - - - ROCK BOTTOM PRICES!!!!

We're still planning another posting of new Zuni fetishes before the end of November so stay tuned for that.

Remember that we are happy to wrap and enclose a gift card and ship directly to your holiday recipient at no extra charge. Last day for priority shipping to arrive before Christmas is December 17th. After that we can't be sure that it will arrive in time for Christmas so express shipping may be necessary.

The nature shot this week is really special! Dave and I were returning from the post office Friday evening and we spotted a rare sight! A bald eagle was on the ground in a pasture usually filled with Santa Gertrudis cattle. We don't often see bald eagles here though on our area lakes there are permanent residents. Certainly you don't expect to see them on the ground! We observed this guy for about 10 - 15 minutes debating whether or not he might be hurt and what we should do. After snapping these photos I started to exit the truck and that was all it took for this beautiful fellow to take flight. He was HUGE! And we finally decided he'd been fishing in a large lake on this ranch and was just FULL and digesting his meal. Seeing him was an incredible gift for us both!

Dave and I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. It's easy to get discouraged by the sheer volume of bad news we are fed on a daily basis but it's important to keep in mind that each of us has much to be grateful for. If you have your health, the love of your family and are able to find joy in your daily surroundings .. you are among the lucky ones in life. And we certainly are ... All our best to you and yours this holiday season.

10.10.08 New Zuni Fetishes @ Zunispirits.com

FINALLY, some NEW GUYS!:

There are 21 new and beautiful Zuni fetishes for your perusal at this link . And here are some tiny thumbnails to tease you with: The sale section continues and we've not only reduced the prices to accommodate the economic meltdown we're all feeling, we've also added a couple of new guys to the mix. Check it out here.

* * * * * The Zuni Salt Lake AND THE BAD GUYS ARE AT IT AGAIN! :

I talked with Governor Norman Cooeyate yesterday and he shared with me that there is yet another battle to save the Zuni Salt Lake. You may remember (or can read about it here), that some years ago a coal mine was threatening the very existance of the "Salt Woman" - one of Zuni's most sacred deities. Zuni won that battle but yet another looms. The primary concern expressed by the Governor is that this entity "has deeper pockets that the last one did". Governor Norman asked me to inform you all and as soon as he provides me with more information I will post it here with any instructions on how we might help out. * * * * *THE JOURNEY OF THE BEARS ... LAST CALL:

We sincerely thank those of you who participated in our request for Zuni fetishes to send to the little girls of Nepal whose educations are being supported by the Madhav Ghimire Foundation. We have received 95 of our 110 promised donations. If you made a pledge and still wish to donate we ask you to PLEASE get your donations to us NO LATER THAN 10/31. Please send to ZUNI SPIRITS - The Journey Of The Bears, P. O. Box 337, Grapeland, TX 75844

* * * * *AN ALARMING STATISTIC ... :

... for those of us who make our living via the internet. A recent survey found that 81% of consumers don't trust small online businesses. Of course we're all having trouble trusting just about anyone, any institution or any political candidate these days .. but it got me to thinking. Dave and I have always tried to make Zuni Spirits a comfortable collecting experience and since we're still here (and so many others are not) we have to believe we are doing something right. At any rate, we invite you to participate in the poll on the upper right (for those of you who are receiving this via email .. you'll have to go to the REAL blog and answer the poll there.

* * * * *KEEPING RECORDS :

For those of you who are passionate about collecting Zuni fetishes, keeping meticulous records is not just an option, it's a real necessity. Knowing when and from whom you purchased your fetish, the carver and the price you paid will serve you well. Once you have more than a dozen (and hey, that didn't take long, did it?), you will eventually forget the very details we're discussing. It's easy enough to do and done on a regular basis (when you receive a new addition) it's not all that big a chore.

Whether you set up a database on your computer (and remember to back this up to another source from time to time!) or just make entries by hand in a notebook, keeping up with these details might not seem like a big thing now -- but when we're all old and gray and those Emery bears we all have in every color are worth a FORTUNE - it will be nice to have that provenance!

Seriously, take a moment to think about your collection, what you have invested and take some time to document your acquisitions!

* * * * * AND SOME TEXAS BEAUTY :

Dave and I enjoyed a couple of days away this past weekend to a place I'd never been before. Caddo lake is the only natural lake in the State (and we share it with Louisiana because well, we're just that way ... ha!) and it's spectacularly, beautifully wild. We saw lots of herons and wood duck, otters, a beaver den and the commotion made by baby alligators (they hatched last month) but not the gators themselves.

The Eagles' Don Henley grew up in the area and underwrites the Caddo Lake Institute for its continued preservation. Here is another website that has some nice Caddo photos on it.

And here are a few photos that Dave took.

Thanks and see 'ya next time!

09.19 & 20.08 Ike effects/The lights are on!

09.20.08 Update - THE LIGHTS ARE ON!
Time to stop loafing and get back to work!
This is Sassy doing what she does best ..

Well, our little sabbatical from electricity has come to an end. Dave and I both jumped when the power was restored last night. Let me tell you -- that first cup of brewed coffee this morning was KILLER! So, we're back at it with gusto.

I've just redone all the sale item pages so that they reflect both the "then" price and the "now" reduced prices. Hope you'll all take a few minutes to flutter thru those pages and find something you positively can't resist.

* * * * * *

LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS

I always wanted to be a pioneer woman. Not the kind that lived in town and wore all those petticoats .. more like the Ma on Little House On the Prairie. Or maybe it was just that I thought it would be nice to be married to Little Joe. Ha!

In any case, Dave and I are not quite pioneers but the effects of Ike have surely hampered our idea of modern life. We still do not have power and it may be weeks before we do. Now that our freezer is safe (we moved the whole thing and plugged it in at a friend's house 45 minutes away who never lost power) and we had the good fortune to find a generator at normal retail price, we're actually doing okay. A couple of days ago we saw the news for the first time since Ike's landfall and the pictures from the coast are just horrendous. But you expect people on the coast to have confrontations with hurricanes from time to time. Not that I am not sympathetic, but I think of it as the price you pay for all those days and days of sunshine, beachcombing and beautiful sunsets. But living this far inland we don't expect the kind of impact that Ike has had on so many lives.

Collectors in the Ohio area are telling me storm stories that match the ones being told by people that live in my town! Downed power lines and trees, roof damage - Ike remained quite powerful for a very long time! It just goes to show you (and I think we all need to be reminded from time to time) that despite all our all our technology and knowledge, we are still not in charge and there are some things we just can't amend, fix or avoid.

Apart from my concerns about the safety of my family (they are) and the hope that everyone's home remained intact (they did), I do find the power and sheer size of the storm fascinating. To think that a weather disturbance that started off the coast of Africa wound up in my corner of Texas, blasted us for hours with hurricane force winds and still managed to wreak havoc hundreds and hundreds of miles further inland is just amazing to me.

So are my hummers. I know I am probably boring you all to tears with this but they continue to surprise and delight me. These photos were taken on Sunday when the wind was still blowing so we put the feeders on the deck rail. It's a good thing hummingbirds are not the size of raptors -- I think we'd all be in trouble! Their perserverance in the face of difficult circumstances is inspiring to me. I guess they are getting ready for their flight south and they continue to consume massive quantities of nectar (two gallons a week!) as more and more "northern" birds come thru our area on their way to their winter home. Whoever is down there feeding them - buy LOTS of sugar!

Oh YEAH .. and then there's ZUNI SPIRITS!

Since we have our new, shiny RED generator we are able to respond to emails and orders now but we're only online about half the day. There were a couple of questions about why I didn't post the "then" price with the "now" price on our current sale. With the impending hurricane I opted for the quicker method and it was purely about convenience on my end. I do have all the original prices so I will likely go back and put the "then" price ahead of the "now" price so that you can see what good discounts we're offering on the remaining sale inventory.

We do have new things to show you but we're holding off publishing those in hopes we can move more of the sale items. I like to keep the site compact and easy to navigate. So BUY UP, people! Who needs gasoline and school supplies and dental implants when what you REALLY want is a couple of new Zuni fetishes! (grin!)

We continue to pick up new collectors and that's always a joy. Welcome to those of you who just "found" us. We hope to contribute to your pleasure and fun in collecting Zuni fetishes.

And to those of you who have known us since were but wee-tiny folks (okay, maybe we weren't wee or tiny but we were YOUNGER!) your continued support and friendship means more than we can say. We feel blessed to get emails from OH, AZ, NY, CA, NM, PA, HI, FL, NJ, the UK, Japan, Portugal, France, Ireland, etc. expressing concern for our safety in the wake of the hurricane. Thank you so much! There are so many others who weren't as fortunate and have lost everything. They surely need our prayers and concern.

Okay, I'm outta here, I have to go wash our clothes in the creek. JUST KIDDING!

09.12.08 - Ike's visit - Update

IKE

Well Gustav was a no show for us but now we're pretty sure that Ike is headed our way. He will bring a huge storm surge to the coast and flooding to the Houston area but our primary concern would be downed trees, power lines and tornadoes. Any silence from this end for more than 24 hours is an indication that we're no longer internet capable and we'll be back online as soon as we're able!

Thanks everybody and take care!

* * * * * Where did everybody go???? - SALE @ Zunispirits.com

It's been slower than molasses around here so we decided to liven things up a bit. You'll find that just about everything on the site (everything above the sold section) has been drastically reduced. Here are some tiny photos just to whet your appetite ... but visit the site to see them all up close and personal or you can "mouse over" to see the prices here and each photo is clickable for more information!

Many items have been reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 so don't miss this opportunity to add some great Zuni fetishes to your collection at rock-bottom prices.

* * * * * JOURNEY OF THE BEARS We have the happy pleasure of announcing that we have now and met and surpassed our quota of 100 Zuni fetishes for the "JOURNEY OF THE BEARS" project! At this writing we have the promise of 103 total Zuni fetishes (mostly bears ..) to send with Dr. Jeffrey Kottler when he travels to Nepal in December. If you made a pledge and have not yet sent in your donations, PLEASE do so by the end of September if at all possible. Your donations should be sent to Zuni Spirits, P. O. Box 337, Grapeland, TX 758444. Dave and I are so pleased and grateful for the generous response to our call for donations. As in times past when we asked for your help, you exceeded our expectations and made us believe more than ever that Zuni fetish collectors are simply the nicest, kindest folks on the planet. Heartfelt thanks to each of you who participated. Dr. Kottler promised photos from his trip so hopefully early next year we will be able to see the girls and their teachers who were the recipients of your kindness. Please remember to visit the Madhav Ghimire website to learn more about this important organization who sponsors Nepal girls in pursuing their education.